基础英语轻松学：家的意义是什么？

本课您将学到：kick back（放松？腐败？），above all句型

　　家是一个极易引起联想的字，在美国人的心目中，它又有着什么样的地位呢？

　　Home. Few words in the English language have such a special meaning. Home is a place where you can relax, kick back and just be yourself. Just about everyone has a strong opinion of what makes a house a home. And for most people in America, home should be, above all, comfortable.

　　Americans like their homes to reflect their personal tastes（品位）. Many do-it-yourselfers enjoy fixing up（为……做出安排） their house and making it more "livable." They often try to create a cozy（舒适的） atmosphere（气氛） so that when they're at home, they'll really feel "at home." Sofas and lounge chairs（趟椅） may be heavily padded and arranged in groupings conducive（有助的） to relaxed conversation.

　　Americans try to make the most of their space, too. The majority（大多数） of homes have built-in closets（橱柜） and shelves（架子）, and people spare no pains（不遗余力） to add dressers, filing cabinets（档案柜） and closet organizers to maximize（使增加到最大限度） their storage（贮藏） space. Although keeping the house neat is often a constant battle, Americans feel it's a battle worth fighting.

　　「读书笔记」

　　家，在英文中没有几个字有这样特别的意义。（Few words in the English language have such a special meaning）家是一个你可以放松、（Home is a place where you can relax）只要做你自己的地方。（kick back and just be yourself）大概每个人对于如何把一间屋子变成一个家都非常有主见。（everyone has a strong opinion of what makes a house a home）对大多数的美国人来说，家最重要的应该是舒适。（home should be, above all, comfortable）

　　Kick back的意思就是relax，有“翘起二郎腿，向后靠”的意思。我们经常可以在广播里听到这样的温馨话语：

　　Kick off your shoes and kick back for a while.
　　脱掉你的鞋子，好好地放松一下自己。

　　此外，kick back也可以根据字面上“踢回去”的意思，表示“报复”。比如：

　　The United States decided to kick back after the incident
　　事件发生后，美国决定要报复。

　　把kickback连起来，意思就完全变了，表示“贪污、腐败”，比如：

　　The company had to kickback a lot to the corrupt officer.
　　这家公司必须给腐败的政府官员很大一笔佣金。

　　美国人喜欢让家反映出他们个人的品味。（Americans like their homes to reflect their personal tastes）许多喜欢自己动手做的人（do-it-yourselfers）沉醉于修补他们的房子并让它更“适于居住”。（fixing up their house and making it more “livable”）他们尝试着营造一个温暖而舒适的气氛，（They often try to create a cozy atmosphere）这样当他们待在家时，会真的感觉到“毫无拘束”。沙发及安乐椅可能会被铺上厚厚的垫子，（Sofas and lounge chairs may be heavily padded）并运用不同空间组合的摆设，（arranged in groupings）让坐的人可以轻松的谈话。（conducive to relaxed conversation）

　　美国人也试着将空间做最佳的利用。（Americans try to make the most of their space）大多数的家庭都有壁橱以及架子，（The majority of homes have built-in closets and shelves）人们也不辞辛劳的添加橱柜、文件柜以及壁柜分隔架来加大储藏空间。（people spare no pains to add dressers filing cabinets and closet organizers to maximize their storage space）虽然让房子维持整洁像是一场永无止尽的长期战役，（Although keeping the house neat is often a constant battle）美国人觉得这是一个值得打下去的战役。（Americans feel it's a battle worth fighting）

　　「句型留言板」

　　above all

　　首先，尤其是，重要的是

　　是不是和我们以前讲过的first and foremost很相似呢？不错，它们的意思一样，但在用法上，above all通常做插入语，而first and foremost则放在谓语。

　　来看两个例子：

　　He is strong, brave and, above all, honest.
　　他强壮,勇敢,最重要的是他诚实。

　　I hate him, above all, his way to people.
　　我讨厌他，尤其是他待人接物的方式。

　　这次的节目就到这里，我们讲了一个习语kick back的用法，掌握了above all句型。下次节目再见！